Читать книгу The Discovery of Witchcraft. Facts, Fiction & Conspiracy Theories Behind the Medieval Witch Hunt онлайн
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The eleventh Chapter.
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That Incubus is a naturall disease, with remedies for the same, besides magicall cures herewithall expressed.
S. George, S. George, our ladies knight,
He walkt by daie, so did he by night:/67.
Untill such time as he hir found,
He hir beat and he hir bound,
Untill hir troth she to him plight,
She would not come to hir*279 that night.
Whereas S. George our ladies knight, was named three times S. George.
Item, hang a stone over the afflicted persons bed, which stone hath naturallie such a hole in it, as wherein a string may be put through it, and so be hanged over the diseased or bewitched partie; be it man, woman, or horsse.
Item, you shall read in M. Malefic.280 that excommunication is verie notable, and better than any charme for this purpose. There are also other verses and charmes for this disease devised, which is the common cloke for the ignorance of bad physicians. But Leonard Fuchsius 281 in his first booke, and 31. chapter, dooth not onelie describe this disease, and the causes of it; but also setteth downe verie learnedlie the cure thereof, to the utter confusion of the witchmongers follie in this behalfe. Hyperius being much bewitched and blinded in this matter of witchcraft, hoovering about the interpretation of Genesis 6. from whence the opinion of Incubus and Succubus is extorted, Viderunt filii Dei filias hominum, quòd elegantes essent, acceperunt sibi in uxores ex omnibus, quas elegerant, &c: seemeth to mainteine upon heare-saie, that absurd opinion; and yet in the end is driven to conclude thus, to wit: Of the evill spirits Incubus and Succubus there can be no firme reason or proofe brought out of scriptures, using these verie words; Hæc ut probabilia dicta sunto, quandoquidem scripturarum præsidio hac in causa destituimur. As if he should saie, Take this as spoken probablie; to wit, by humane reason, bicause we are destitute of scriptures to mainteine the goodnesse of the cause.